[78-L] What's the story on Victor 17959?

[Harold Aherne]

I was browsing the EDVR and came across a song by Billy Murray entitled
"Down in the U-17", subtitled in the ledgers (but possibly not on the record)
as "A Musical Torpedo". Curiosity piqued, I looked up the catalogue number
it was issued under: Vic 17959, issued in April 1916 and deleted just a month
later! I found a recording of it at 
 
http://turtleservices.com/downu-17.htm
 
The fact that it's about a German submarine crew having a merry old time
could certainly have ruffled enough feathers to make Victor have second thoughts,
but does anyone know for sure? Did Victor themselves make the decision, or
were there complaints from record buyers? I guess I've wondered the same thing
about Jan Garber's recording of "How Could Red Riding Hood?" that was 
also apparently withdrawn, even though quite a few other bands and singers 
recorded it without much apparent fuss.
 
-Harold